Tale of Years: 2003
by Jessica314
Summary: In 2003, the Cullens return to spend a few years at one of their favorite locations: the Olympic Peninsula in Washington State. Who knows what things Fate might have in store for them here? Can be read alone, or as the eighth installment in the Tale of Years Series. Canon-Friendly Twilight Prequel, Edward POV.
1. Two is Company, Twelve's a Crowd

**Welcome to** ** _Tale of Years: 2003_** **! I'm so, so excited to be beginning this story, and so thankful for all of you who have been patient while still encouraging me to go for it. I'm sorry it's taken so long, and please understand that I still can't commit to any regular posting schedule. Not only do I have my novel in progress—I've also launched a freelance editing business, so there will only be certain times I can devote long hours to writing fanfiction. But man, am I excited to finally be starting this journey with you guys! I actually don't anticipate much excitement or significant plot arcs, but there are just so many little things that I want to foreshadow and write towards here. The main story will cover the Cullens getting settled in Forks in the fall of 2003, while the Epilogue will be set in 2005 on the same day that Bella starts at Forks High School. So the final words will lead right into Midnight Sun. Enjoy!**

 **Disclaimer: The Twilight Saga and its universe belong to Stephenie Meyer. No profit is made here and no offense intended.**

* * *

 **June 2003**

 **Mt. McKinley, Alaska**

 **Edward POV**

The snow around me was indifferent to my presence. My skin was just as cold, collecting the tiny crystals by the thousands as I lay motionless, watching the stars come out one by one. The quiet sounds of nature hummed a restful overture, muffled by distance and the icy blankets draped over every surface of the mountain. High above its peak, a dazzling show of twisting reds and greens adorned the sky. Another breathtaking nightfall in the Alaskan wilderness.

I watched the moon sketch its usual graceful progress across the dark sky, unimpressed. Even the pair of shooting stars that broke the monotony around 2:00 in the morning were old news; Alice had cheerfully ruined the surprise earlier this evening. A third was due in a few minutes, but I let my eyes drift closed, unable to care. I had seen it all before. But I would no doubt find myself out here again tomorrow night, eager for solitude. Anything to get away from the crowd of minds at home.

We hadn't planned to move in with the Denalis, per se; it was only supposed to be an extended visit while we waited for Rosalie and Emmett to come back from the honeymoon tour of Europe they had taken upon our departure from Maine. Their spur-of-the-moment wedding had completely stalled our plans, but we still wanted to move on all together when the time came. And we hadn't yet decided on our next destination, so it seemed as good a time as any to pay our cousins a long-overdue visit.

By the time the happy newlyweds had come home, it was so close to Christmas that there was no stopping Alice and Tanya. The lodge and the main house were transformed into a glittering, gaudy wonderland that burned out the generator every other night. Soon afterward, tax season began to loom. Even with the majority of our identity management load now shifted onto Jenks and his questionable associates, it was no time to start over. The move was delayed again.

Now it was early June, and we hadn't budged. I supposed it was my own fault; when Carlisle had grown restless back in January I had suggested that he start working a few shifts a week at the clinic in Cantwell. Irina, who was the public face of the Denalis at the moment, decided to attend a series of weekend economics lectures with Alice. It had somehow turned into their signing up for a regular class down at AUF. Rosalie had naturally felt slighted and convinced Tanya to take a class with _her_ , and then Emmett had tagged along, and here we were tangled up for an entire semester.

It hadn't been so bad at first. Rosalie and Emmett had taken the guest suite in the main house, so the lodge was relatively quiet, conventionally speaking. The mornings were especially peaceful once the college classes had gotten underway. Carlisle seemed to be enjoying his work at the clinic, and of course Esme and Eleazar had begun work to expand the lodge. I resigned myself to living with eleven minds for the time being; it wasn't as bad as I had feared. Wanting our continued company, Tanya had been working hard at _not_ mentally undressing me on a nightly basis, which I greatly appreciated, and everyone had enough to do that we weren't all stepping on each other's toes. Not much, anyway.

But the peace was starting to wear thin. The first argument had been between Emmett and Irina back in April. They had, without knowing it, been stalking the same bear for hours when they nearly collided. Emmett laughed and offered to fight her for it, which didn't go over so well. The incident was smoothed over, but it was a like a switch had been flipped; tempers began running shorter and, more seriously, the supply of big game was shrinking. The Denalis had always gone far afield to hunt, preferring not to disturb the balance of wildlife around their home, and we respected that. But there were only so many hunting ranges within driving or running distance, if you didn't want to make a weekend of it.

I felt the light shift and opened my eyes, watching dully as each star winked out and the eastern horizon began to glow. Maybe another hour. Tanya hadn't been so careful with her thoughts this past week, but at least she generally behaved herself when it was daylight. I took my time brushing the accumulated snow off my clothes and out of my hair, trying to decide if I felt like hunting before returning home. But it would take me a good three hours, and I decided it wasn't worth the concerned look and thoughts Esme would no doubt be giving me. Besides, I had promised I would help her put up the gutters on the new addition this morning.

I was pleasantly surprised not to hear Tanya's mind when I got back to the lodge.

"Where's Tanya?" I asked Esme as we started our work on the gutters.

"She took a trip down to Anchorage for the weekend. I think she's having a rendezvous with that young man she's been emailing with."

I pushed a nail into place with my fingertip, eyeing the rest of the gutter and calculating how many more I might need. "Thank _God_."

Esme's warm chuckle brought a weary smile to my face. "She hasn't been too difficult, has she? You had said she was being considerate."

"That was two months ago," I said drily, jamming another nail into place. "She's _considered_ quite a lot since then."

Esme huffed out a maternal sigh. "I'll speak to her again."

"Don't bother, please." I waited, sure that she would protest and fuss over me, but she fell silent instead, picturing Carlisle at work. I eyed her with suspicion, moving on to the next gutter. Esme was less obvious with Tanya than she had been with Rosalie back in the day, but the thoughts were there: she wanted me settled, and she felt I could do far worse than Tanya.

I had to admit, Tanya really was being more considerate this time, even now. She seemed lonelier than in previous years, and it gave her fantasies a softer edge. They were often as benign as holding hands and chatting leisurely with me as we walked through the streets of some city or other, or hunting together, or just curling up together to watch the stars. The more scandalous daydreams were sprinkled in often enough that I wasn't too impressed with the change, but I truly appreciated her effort. I wished the best for her, just as Esme wished the best for me.

She didn't need to bother. I was well aware that I was "wasting" my chance to be with one of the only three golden-eyed female vampires known to exist. But I simply wasn't interested, and she knew it. _Tanya_ knew it. It was flattering, I supposed, to have a famous succubus baiting me for nigh on a century now, but that had nothing to do with the kind of love story I would have preferred. I knew the odds of that story ever unfolding were slim to none, and I had decided long ago that it wold be best for everyone if it never did. But at least I could honor it—and the invisible girl who didn't exist—by never settling for less. I had my family, and despite the days when my role as seventh wheel was painfully tangible, that was more than enough.

.

.

.

 **One week later**

"Are you going to move sometime in this _century_?!" Emmett grumbled.

"Sshh." Jasper frowned down at the chessboards, rearranging his plan of attack yet again. _He's got something his sleeve. He wouldn't be so impatient if that rook didn't have some secret mission... maybe an ambush on that corner board..._ He crawled around the game on his hands and knees, examining things from another perspective.

Alice and I glanced at each other from our respective ends of the couch, silently exchanging our guesses as to who would win in the end. She'd been seeing Emmett's smug victory for the past hour, but it was fuzzy and getting fuzzier. _It doesn't matter_ , she thought sulkily. _I'm going to go gray before they're done. Jazz PROMISED me we could go—_

I lost interest in her shopping plans for the weekend, focusing on the game. This was the latest incarnation of my brothers' experimental versions of chess, modified for the vampire mind. Nine interlocking boards made up one big square field of battle. Only the four corner boards started off with complete sets of pieces, though the roster grew more complex as the game went on and the armies spread out. It made for some intriguing strategies. Not that _I_ was allowed to play.

 _Here we go,_ Alice thought suddenly, letting out a delicate sigh.

I peered over the top of my book again. "What?"

"Alright, that's it," Emmett growled, reaching for the board too fast for Jasper to stop him. He ripped the middle board right out of the game, sending a few pieces flying. I blocked one with my book at the last second, batting it right back into Emmett's face.

"What the hell's the matter with you?!" Jasper spluttered, scrambling on his hands and knees for the lost pieces.

"I wanna try it without the middle board. It's no good; too many possibilities."

"You could have let us finish the game first!"

"We can finish it! Just put the pieces on whatever spaces are nearest to where they were."

Jasper considered this for a moment. "No, they have to go back to their starting position." The argument quickly deteriorated into a squabble about how to salvage the game and how the various pieces' movement across and around the empty space should be governed.

"What's going on in here?" Esme said, carefully picking one of Emmett's knights out of a potted plant that stood next to the staircase.

"Nothing's broken," Emmett announced, looking innocent and spreading his arms wide and knocking over the other plant in the process. He grumbled an oath and crawled over to clean it up, sweeping half the pieces off the remaining boards with his leg. Jasper growled deep in his throat and chucked one of his own bishops at the back of Emmett's head. Alice hummed to herself, looking pleased as punch.

"I wanted to talk to you all about something," Esme began, shooting Emmett a fierce glance as he gathered himself to pounce on Jasper. He sighed heavily and bounced up onto his feet instead, going to stand behind Rosalie's rocking chair. "I thought this would be a good time since the Denalis are all out at the moment. I've been speaking with Tanya..."

I rolled my eyes, finally closing my book. "Esme," I began, but she held up her hand.

 _Not about that._ She gave me the usual sad, sympathetic smile before looking around the room at the others. "I don't think this is working out."

"You mean us living here?" Rosalie asked.

"Unfortunately, yes. But I'd also like to hear what we all have to say about it, and we can include Carlisle when he gets home tonight."

Emmett shrugged. "Gotta admit, the hunting's not too great these days."

"I like it here," Alice piped up.

"So do I," Jasper agreed after a long pause. "Especially how far we are from the humans." He looked up at Esme. "But there's a lot of tension in the air. It's not necessarily between our two families, and not much is being said, but it's getting worse."

"That's what Tanya and I were discussing," she said. "It's a little... crowded, especially now that the semester is over. Edward, it has to be difficult for you. For your gift."

Everyone looked back toward me. "It's crowded," I admitted. "But Carlisle is enjoying his work at the clinic, isn't he?"

Esme gave me the sad smile again, retreating to perch on the lowest step. "He did at first. It was a new challenge, and he's enjoyed working in a more casual atmosphere. But it's gotten monotonous pretty quickly, and the days are slow."

"I haven't heard him thinking like that," I said with a frown.

Rosalie snorted from behind me. "And you know everything, naturally."

"What's your problem?" I shot back in irritation, turning around to face her.

 _You are!_

I bared my teeth. "Rosalie, I swear, sometimes—"

"Watch it," Emmett warned.

"See what I mean?" Jasper said to the room in general, slumping back against the couch to let Alice play with his hair.

"Nobody's blaming anybody," Esme insisted, hugging her knees. "I just think it's time to move on."

"And Tanya agrees?" Jasper asked.

"She thinks we need a change, one way or the other. Maybe building our own place further out, but within running distance, or we move on. She feels bad about it, but she's noticed tempers getting short too. And Emmett, you're right about the hunting. You know how the Denalis feel about disturbing the balance of wildlife. So unless everyone is willing to switch to caribou from here on out..."

"We're moving," Emmett said flatly.

.

.

.

Late that evening, Carlisle joined the discussion along with the Denalis. Now that the awkward issue of our needing to move was out in the open, the tension had eased. Alice was the only one truly unhappy about the move; she had especially been enjoying Tanya's company, and she and Eleazar and Irina had enjoyed plenty of lively debates about their investments. Ten years ago, she might not have enjoyed living so far from civilization, but internet access was speeding up every day, and the worldwide mall with it.

"Where will you go?" Carmen asked.

"I didn't have anything particular in mind this time," Carlisle said, looking around the room. "Does anyone have a preference?"

"Somewhere with grizzlies," Emmett said.

"Emmett," Alice grumbled, "you take weekend trips all the time. You can easily get grizzlies if we live anywhere in the US."

"I wouldn't mind being closer to Jenks, though," Jasper said, nodding over toward Emmett.

Irina sighed, running her hand through her hair. "You always put yourselves through so much trouble. Why don't you just settle down somewhere?"

Esme ignored the usual debate that went along with that question. "Carlisle, do you want to teach this time or just work?"

Carlisle shrugged. "Either is fine."

"He wants to work," I reported, enjoying Carlisle's look of exasperation. "So we don't need a big university hospital."

There was a long pause as we all considered various destinations. Kate was thinking of suggesting the Swiss Alps, while Emmett was fantasizing about a five-year safari, threading through Africa, India, and most of the Pacific Islands.

"Emmett," I scoffed, shaking my head fondly.

"You're _kidding_ me," Alice grumbled out of nowhere, shooting Rosalie a glare. "It's one of the rainiest places in the northern hemisphere."

We all turned to Rosalie, who folded her arms defensively. "Well, why not?"

I barked out a laugh, finally seeing her plan. "Rosalie wants to go back to the Olympic Peninsula."

Eleazar's brow twisted in confusion. "Wasn't that the place with the werewolves?"

"We've always talked about going back there," Rosalie pointed out.

"As a _joke_ ," I snorted. "Come on, Rosalie, I know you've been thinking about taking us all back to Europe with you ever since you two got back."

"You loved it there too," she insisted. I shrugged in acquiescence.

"We all did," Carlisle said. "But I'm afraid it's out of the question."

"Who says the wolves are even still around?"

"Rosalie," he said, "even if the wolves are gone, they were part of a Native American tribe. They'll have a long memory, even if the truth about our identity hasn't been passed down. It's not worth the risk."

"I wouldn't mind seeing those wolves again," Emmett muttered, cracking his knuckles. _Still owe them a good fight..._

"All the more reason not to move there," I said, stretching out my leg to kick his chair. "Can we talk seriously about this?"

After few snickers around the room, the conversation went on to other possibilities. Rosalie remained rigid in her chair with her arms folded, but even as she mentally raged about no one listening to her, she began to consider some alternatives too. Kate and Jasper got into a side debate about the danger of being near larger cities with the high terror alert level, especially considering the elections next year.

I didn't particularly care where we went. It was a shame, though; Rosalie's suggestion, however unrealistic, brought back pleasant memories of our stay in Washington State back in the late '30s. I could smell the sharp tang of the evergreens as if it were yesterday, the scent deepened with the moisture of the rainforest. And the blood of the mountain lions that had fed on elk that had fed on those trees... legendary. My throat ached at the memory. And there had been so _many_ of those mountain lions...

"...think of that, Edward?"

I came out of my ruminations, realizing that Carlisle had been speaking to me over the din of the various conversations going on. I let the phantom taste of mountain lion blood fade away. "Sorry?"

"Esme and I were toying with the idea of returning to our old stomping grounds in Montana. We'd probably have to tear down the old house, but the property is still nice and secluded. What do you think about that?"

"Sounds good to me. Emmett will love being so close to Glacier National Park."

Carlisle watched me carefully. _You're sure...?_ His mind filled with the uncomfortable memory of the day I had left him and Esme back in '27, at that same house in Montana, and my return there four years later... orange eyes and all.

"I said it's fine, Carlisle." I turned around in my chair toward where Alice and Jasper sat scrunched in the nearest corner of Carmen's favorite couch. The matching blues of their shirts made the two of them look like one big blue marshmallow; matching was one of Alice's latest kicks. "What do you think, Alice?"

"Hmm?"

"About Montana."

"Hmm."

She was completely spaced out, flouncing through forests and shopping malls and school hallways in the world of her visions. I snapped my fingers in front of her face. "Alice. What do you think of Montana?"

Her eyes slowly blurred back into focus. "What? Oh... Montana is nice."

I rolled my eyes. "What do you think about _living_ there? In the old house. I mean, a new house on the old property."

"Hmm." She began to drift away again. "No, I don't think we should go to Montana." A little fold of worry appeared between her eyes, though nothing particular was showing up in her visions.

Jasper abruptly broke off his conversation with Kate, looking down at Alice and tightening his hold around her shoulders a little. "Alice? What's wrong?"

Everyone else's talk faded into silence at his question. Alice continued her silent journey, colors and pictures twisting so fast that I couldn't keep up. Jasper began to rub the back of her neck gently; it was his signal to her that he was worried, that she should come out of it when she was ready. After a few moments, she lifted her eyebrows and came back down to earth with record speed. "Well, that's interesting."

"What?" Tanya asked, looking to me for the answer instead. I flipped my hands up in surrender, just as much in the dark as she was. Eleazar pulled forward away the wall to come closer, intrigued by whatever Alice's gift was doing at the moment.

"We're moving," Alice announced with certainty, "to the Olympic Peninsula."

Matching grins broke out on Emmett and Rosalie's faces. "Excellent," Emmett rumbled, wrapping a huge arm around his wife's waist and pulling her close.

"No, we're not," Carlisle protested, looking confused. "We just decided not to. Your visions wouldn't—"

"I know," Alice interrupted, chewing on her thumbnail and looking confused herself. I finally saw it, clear as day: Carlisle's car, with the rest of the caravan close behind, driving right past a sign that announced our destination. The cars were loaded. The vision swirled and skipped ahead to a picture of Alice and Jasper standing on some lookout with Mt. Olympus in the distance, then a picture of Emmett hefting a wooden beam up to Esme as she worked on a house, with the mountain still hovering out in the sky beyond. There was no mistaking it.

"Who decided to go there?" I asked, looking around the room. Nobody answered.

"It's not always as cut and dried as that, is it, Alice?" Eleazar asked with a knowing smile.

"No," she agreed, still looking as confused as the rest of us. "But I still don't see how it'll work. I guess we'll decide that it's okay?"

"The wolves must be gone," Rosalie said with certainty. "How else would we make that decision?"

"Alice, are you sure that's what you see?" Jasper asked her. "You've never even been there."

"I'm sure."

"She's sure," I confirmed, still watching her mind curiously. "Though I still don't understand..."

"What's the problem?" Rosalie asked. "It's obviously safe, and I know we've all wanted to go back there someday, joking or not. Right, Edward?"

"True."

Another silence as everyone looked to Carlisle. "Well," he said after another long moment. "I suppose there wouldn't be any harm in going down to there to scope it out... for werewolf scent, I mean."

"I'll go," Jasper volunteered.

"I'd be flying," Carlisle told him. "I'd like to rule this out quickly, if it's not feasible, so that we can start looking into other options."

Jasper grimaced, so I raised my hand. "I'll go. I'll be able to sweep a bigger area more quickly." Carlisle nodded. The discussion moved on quickly as we all began to discuss the possibilities. Despite Esme's worry about the wolves being a problem, and Carlisle's concern about a couple of other issues, everyone was feeling fairly hopeful about it.

Carlisle and I drove out to the airport early the next morning, wanting to reach the center of the peninsula by midday. If there were werewolves to be found, it was unlikely they'd be prowling around in broad daylight.

 _I still don't understand how Alice arrived at those visions_ , Carlisle thought to me after we had gotten through the worst of the altitude change.

"I don't either," I admitted. "As far as I could tell, they just started coming to her."

"She must have been thinking about moving there after Rosalie brought it up, and somehow one thing led to another... or was about to, I suppose." Carlisle smiled conspiratorially. "Or she and Rosalie could have cooked the whole thing up. You know how she likes to keep us guessing about her gift."

"One step ahead," I sighed, fiddling with the handle that was supposed to recline my seat. I finally got it to squeak backwards a full two inches. "Remember when airplanes used to be comfortable?"

Carlisle relaxed back into his own seat, closing his eyes. "At least nobody smokes anymore. You could have flown us down yourself, you know..."

I snorted, reaching for the magazines in front of me. "Not if you wanted to get there this week." I flipped through the pages, curious to see what absurdities were for sale this year. Maybe Carlisle and Esme would like a jigsaw puzzle made from the aerial view of Isle Esme. I was sure Emmett would appreciate a talking dartboard or a personalized bocce set made from imported Italian marble. Seriously, who bought these things? What they _really_ needed to invent was a deodorizer that could absorb the combined scent of two hundred sleep-deprived humans crammed into the cabin of an airplane.

 _This is nice, isn't it? Just the two of us. Like the old days._

"Not quite like the old days," I said, flourishing the little silver cell phone that would live in my jacket pocket for the remainder of the trip. But he was being serious, so I put it away. "Yes, it's nice. And it's a relief to get away from everyone else's minds. Relatively speaking," I added with a sardonic grin, gesturing toward the other passengers. I dropped my voice. "It was just you and me when we ran into the werewolves last time, too. I didn't think we'd be doing this again so soon."

"We'll be careful." _I have to admit, I'm glad Alice had those visions. If it's possible, I think this is one destination we can all agree on. There was just something about that place... it felt like home, in a way most of our homes haven't._

"I felt that way, too," I said. "And it wasn't just that it had so many features that made our lives easier. It was... I don't know, more peaceful somehow, being up in the far corner of the American frontier like that. I hope it does work out."

"So do I."

We spent the remainder of the flight in silence, with Carlisle lost in his own thoughts or reading. I wasn't so lucky. I had an especially entertaining hour listening to the lady in front of me trying to decide how to phrase her confession to her parents that she was pregnant. Meanwhile, there was an elderly married couple two rows up who were giving each other the silent treatment, while still having nearly identical conversations with each other inside their own heads. There was a steady stream of numbers floating over the rest of the noise the entire time, courtesy of an accountant who was frantically trying to catch up on some work on his laptop. Clashing songs from at least thirty different sets of headphones scratched mercilessly on my brain, irritating me anew every time a new song began.

I finally found refuge in the mind of a young woman who sat near the back of the plane, dreamily trying out possible chord progressions for a song she was writing. It took a while, but I eventually managed to get the other minds muffled enough to listen along, hypnotized by her mathematical approach to her music. Before I knew it, we were starting the descent into SEA-TAC.

I looked over Carlisle's shoulder out the window, feeling my lips pull to one side in a nostalgic smile as I saw the endless blanket of deep green spreading out beneath us. The peak of Mt. Olympus kept a majestic vigil over the steaming rainforest out in the distance, and beyond that, the sea.

I didn't know why or how Alice's visions had led us here, but seeing the familiar landscape made me feel somehow certain it was going to work out. I felt a faint stirring of hope—hope for what, I wasn't sure. Perhaps that there really was something special about this place... that it wouldn't be just another stop on an eternal series of stops as we continued to wander forever. Somehow, somewhere deep inside me, I had the unmistakeable feeling that I was coming home.

* * *

 **They're on their way! :)**

 **Please do take a moment to come review and say hello, and let me know what you think so far. I also want to hear which things you all would like to see in this story as we draw toward the events in the Saga.**

 **Also, I want to invite everyone to check out my Twilight blog and new Twitter account, if you haven't done so. My blog is on Tumblr, where my screenname is (at symbol)jessicanjpa. I actually talk a lot on there about _Tale of Years_ —various little headcanons and thoughts, but I also love chatting with readers and welcome questions about this story or any of the others. Sometimes I post little teaser scenes for upcoming chapters and have polls so you guys can help me decide something. When I'm posting something that's a bit spoiler-y in terms of plot, I'll try to remember to use the "spoiler" tag, so that you can blacklist it if you don't want to see those.**

 **The Twitter is TwilightTaleOfYears(underscore)jessicanjpa. Basically, you'll hear from any Twilight character, anywhere in the canon timeline. It's mostly humor, but some sweet/sad stuff too.**

 **I may not be posting again until the New Year, so I want to wish you all a very Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays. Thank you for reading!**


	2. Memory Lane

**Thank you all so much for the follows, favs, and especially reviews! And I apologize for the slow update, as usual—real life is busy and this story is proving more difficult to write than I was expecting, especially in terms of tone. I'm aiming for an overall effect of numbness and tedium by the end, but of course nobody wants to read (or write!) a story that's just plain boring and morose all the time... even with Edward at the helm ;) Good thing there's plenty of fun foreshadowing in store along the way. I think they'll begin school in the next chapter.**

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We had packed light, so there was no need to put ourselves through the unpleasant ritual of standing awkwardly beside the luggage return and enduring the clumsy shoves of humans who lunged for their suitcases like their lives depended on it. I only had a small bag with a change of clothes and a book or two, and that was small enough to carry on. Carlisle had an overnight bag too, as well as his briefcase.

"What's that for?" I asked him, pointing to the briefcase as we made our way over to the car rental counter.

"Oh, I thought you knew. I have an interview at one of the local hospitals."

"When on earth did you schedule that? We only came up with the idea of moving here last night."

He gave his name to the agent and handed over his credit card. "After we made our plans, I began looking through the websites of the hospitals in the area. I found an opening and submitted my resumé electronically. Would you believe I received an email at 3:00 a.m. inviting me for an interview at my earliest convenience?"

"Sounds like they're desperate. Where is it?"

"Forks."

I wrinkled my nose. "That little logging town? Is it even incorporated yet?"

"It's been almost seventy years, Edward," Carlisle said with a smile. "A lot has changed. Yes, it's a city now, population 3,700. Hospital, police department, high school—"

"I am _not_ going to high school!"

He held up his hands in surrender. "I know. There's a little college just down the road, or you all could attend one of the universities in Seattle. All I'm saying is that Forks has grown big enough to support its own hospital. I haven't heard back about the time yet, but I'm hoping they can fit me in this afternoon."

"And what are you planning to wear?" I nudged his nearly-empty duffel bag with my toe.

He blinked. "Do you know, I completely forgot to pack my suit?"

I chuckled, swiping the keys out of the agent's hand before Carlisle had the chance. "Looks like you're going shopping today, too. I'm surprised Alice hasn't... hold on a second..."

I still wasn't used to the odd feeling of carrying a telephone in my pocket, much less a vibrating one. I took it out and flipped it open to find a text message from my shorter sister.

 _Tell Carlisle to get a charcoal suit, and I don't care how funny he thinks that plaid tie is, it's not appropriate for an interview. Go with light blue. I THINK he's going to find it up in Port Angeles, but I'm not sure about that yet so I'll get back to you._

"Your orders, sir," I announced, holding up the little screen for him to see.

.

.

.

Esme called Carlisle on his cell phone while we were driving down the 101 to Aberdeen. Our plan was to trace the treaty line from the southern end right up to the northern coast. Then, if everything checked out, Carlisle could go shopping in Port Angeles in time to make it back down to Forks for the interview, which Esme said was at 3:15.

"They sounded _very_ interested in the email," she reported. "I think you'll be offered a job on the spot."

"That was easy," I said after Carlisle hung up. "So, do you think there'll be any sign of the wolves?"

"I haven't smelled anything yet, but we'll see. Hear anything interesting?"

I shook my head. "I can't make sense of anyone's thoughts at this speed."

 _You know, it isn't necessary to break the sound barrier EVERY time you get behind a steering wheel..._

"Spoilsport," I grunted, pressing the pedal a little harder just to tease him. The needle on the speedometer quivered in protest, flirting with the 120 mark. "If you didn't want me to have fun you shouldn't have rented a Mercedes S55."

"I'm actually thinking of getting one when I trade in next time," he said. He lowered the window so he could hold his hand out to feel the hurricane wind we were creating. "I wanted to try it out. I couldn't believe they even had it available to rent—Edward, what are you _doing_?"

"Trying it out," I said pleasantly, shoving the pedal hard into the floor. The engine whined in pain, but the needle reached 150 just as I had to slam on the brakes for a curve in the road. I glanced over at Carlisle, who was staring down at the speedometer with wide eyes. He couldn't even _run_ at 150 miles an hour.

 _I am buying this car._

I grinned, easing back up past 100. "Better tint the windows. Not that you'll need it around here, hopefully. Here it comes," I added, turning on the wipers just at the deluge began.

We reached Aberdeen a few minutes later. We drove around while we waited for the rain to end, exploring the port and then driving on to Hoquiam, the town we had lived near in the '30s. Things didn't look as different as I had expected; we were able to recognize plenty of buildings from before, and we were pleasantly surprised to see that quite a few of the old family businesses had survived. I wanted to visit the house we had lived in, but Carlisle didn't want to be pressed for time up in Port Angeles, and he wanted to be sure the treaty line was clear before we separated.

The storm ran its course by 1:00, which didn't leave us with much time. We took it as slow as we could up the western portion of the 101 with the windows rolled down. Carlisle took the wheel so that in the spots where the treaty line pulled away from the highway, I could follow the line on foot while he drove on to the next place they joined up again. We traced the line all the way up to Clallam Bay.

Nothing. Not even the faintest whiff of werewolf scent. I got back in the car and we drove on to Port Angeles, which was neutral territory according to the treaty we had forged with Ephraim Black in '36. I paid special attention to the Native American townspeople we passed, listening to their thoughts for any hints that there might be werewolves on the other side of the line. It was hard to tell who was Quileute, since almost everyone thought in English now, but I didn't catch a single thought about vampires or werewolves, not even in the older ones.

"I think it's safe to separate now," Carlisle said, pulling over to the side of the road. "Unless you'd like to help me pick out my interview suit..."

"Not interested," I assured him, getting out. "Besides, you've got Alice in your pocket."

"True."

I started to shut the door but leaned back down instead. Carlisle looked like he was a million miles away. He was remembering our encounter with the werewolves. "Carlisle? What's wrong?"

He was silent for another moment, staring into space and thinking about everything we had learned about the wolves that day—which wasn't much. "I suppose they really _are_ gone," he said sadly.

"Well, isn't that what we wanted?"

"Yes, but it's a shame. For all we know, they were the last to carry those genes. An entire subculture—an entire species, in a sense—has faded and disappeared in a mere handful of generations. I wonder if anyone in the Quileute Nation even remembers their existence."

Several teenage boys were swaggering down the sidewalk toward us, so I got back into the car and shut the door. "There's only one way to know for sure that they're gone. I could go to the reservation while you're at the hospital."

He finally snapped out of it, turning to frown at me. "No, Edward. We will honor the treaty."

"What treaty? Either they're gone, in which case it's a moot point, or I'll be able to learn that there _are_ werewolves hiding behind the line, in which case it's better to know before we move here."

"No." I opened my mouth to protest, but he held up his hand. "We made a promise, and we're going to keep it. And besides, I can't imagine there being werewolves over there without their scent being thick at the line, like before."

"What makes you think they would respect the line either? We made that treaty so we could coexist in peace here on the Peninsula. I don't see why they would have honored it after we left."

Carlisle thought for a moment. "You're right, I suppose. It was their land all along; the treaty was really made to restrict _our_ movements and give them peace of mind, and to ensure breathing room for all of us."

"All the more reason for us not to worry about it. I'll only go today, if you like, to confirm—"

"I said no, Edward. This isn't just about lines on a map. We gave Ephraim our word that we would give his people plenty of space. The treaty was a tool to ensure that promise, and it still is. How do you think he'd like it if you were to go snooping around the reservation, spying on his descendants?"

"I'm spying on them right now," I said belligerently, gesturing back toward the group of boys as they passed.

 _You know what I mean._

"Fine," I grumbled. "Far be it from us vampires to upset a corpse."

.

.

.

I ran back down to Hoquiam first, eager to see if our old house was still standing. It was one of the few houses we hadn't held onto after moving away; Carlisle had thought the wolves wouldn't appreciate it, and the money had made a timely donation to the Red Cross back in 1940. The five of us who had lived here before were hoping that, should the move work out, we'd be able to come full circle and reclaim our old home.

The silence was promising as I approached the property from the northwest—no thoughts. But as soon as I caught a glimpse of the house through the thinning trees, I knew it wasn't meant to be. A bright red muscle car was in the driveway, and even from this distance I could smell the heavy stench of full garbage cans. Well, that was out.

I drew closer to inspect the house anyway. We had such good memories of our time here; it was a shame our good luck about the wolves hadn't extended to a conveniently vacant house. I peeked in through a few of the windows, wistfully hoping for some sign that the family might be thinking about moving out—boxes strewn around, pictures taken down from the walls—but their possessions looked comfortably at home. The sunny end of the living room, where my old piano had once stood, was now cluttered with preschool-age toys, a wide-screen plasma TV, and as easel which held a painting in progress. Whoever the artist was, their style was remarkably similar to Esme's. The forest scene was eerily similar to the painting she had done for me as a Christmas gift back in 1950: the vast forest-scape of the Olympics, painted from a birds-eye view looking northward. But then I supposed everyone around here tended to paint a picture like that; how could they resist?

I circled around to the back, pleased to see that the porch I had helped Esme build was still standing. It bore the usual signs of age, but it had been well kept. I climbed up for a quick look into my old bedroom. It was some kind of home office now. I poked around the property some more, looking for other memories, but I didn't find much. The house's facade and the shape of the yard were completely different now, and Rosalie and Emmett's cottage had been torn down many years ago, judging by the rotting wood debris and the trees that had grown up in its place.

At least the forest itself still felt the same. I took off at top speed through the mostly-cleared back half of the property, reveling in the familiar smells and mottled shade when I got into the thick of the woods. The cool humidity of the rainforest made the scents come alive in a way that was completely different from those of the Amazon. I slowed to a walk, reaching out to touch the damp bark of a grumpy old oak that looked familiar. Somewhere around here was that big Sitka Spruce I had always liked to climb... there it was, even taller than before.

I raced up the giant tree hand over hand. The cool dimness of the forest floor erupted into sunlight as I broke through the canopy, balancing precariously among the highest branches. For miles and miles around me, the treetops of the Olympic National Park stretched out like a vast green blanket, broken only by the snowy rocks of Mount Olympus. The ocean glittered out in the west and I smiled to see the familiar coastline of Vancouver Island up north. I closed my eyes and drew a deep breath, tasting a thousand scents all at once.

 _Home._

.

.

.

Once Carlisle had accepted the job in Forks, Esme found a house in record time. Less than two weeks after the interview, we parted with our cousins on good terms.

"You'll miss me," Tanya whispered in my ear as I gave her the obligatory goodbye hug.

"I will," I said politely, pulling away. Once I was safe, I gave her a grateful nod; we both knew how hard she had worked to behave herself the past two weeks. As the leader of her coven, she had been genuinely worried about the tension that had arisen between our two families this time. "Thanks, Tanya."

"Visit anytime."

"I will."

We drove in a long caravan as usual, with Alice and Jasper bringing up the rear in the moving trucks. My new car was an Aston Martin V12 Vanquish—not really that helpful for carting possessions around on days like this, but it was a speed demon that could _almost_ pass for a vehicle belonging to a normal human, if you squinted. We got along just fine.

This was the first time we'd all be able to communicate with each other on the drive without having to yell out the windows, thanks to our new cell phones. But no sooner were we out of my mind-reading range of our cousins than my phone ran out of "bars." I wondered if we'd have much luck with reception down in Washington. It had been spotty enough when we drove around the peninsula two weeks ago. And to be honest, I was hoping there'd be no reception out in the forest so that I'd have no reason to carry my phone every time I went out. Solitude with a buzzing phone in your pocket wasn't really solitude at all.

The drive was a simple one, taking us down through the open silence of Yukon Territory and British Columbia. We stopped for a night of hunting in the Rockies, then made it to Forks in one long stretch. We avoided the town, waiting in a parked caravan off the road while Carlisle and Esme went to close with the lawyers and got the house key, and then followed the directions to the house. We missed the driveway at first, it was so hard to find.

"I think it's this one," Carlisle called out his window, and we all turned into a dirt drive that had more potholes than dirt. I winced with each jarring jolt, wondering how my car was taking it underneath. Smoothing out the driveway would be the first task at hand, if Rosalie and I had anything to say about it. Emmett was having a good old time, purposely aiming his Jeep for all the worst potholes.

 _Lunatic_ , Rosalie thought with an indulgent smirk.

Despite the bumpy ride, I was pleased with how long the driveway was; I wouldn't have to deal with the constant annoyance of people's thoughts passing out on the main road like I had with our last two houses. In fact, even with my window shut I could hear the soothing white noise of the Sol Duc river, which was close by. I'd have to thank Esme for that sometime.

The house finally came into view. Six majestic cedars dwarfed the small front lawn, providing not only a breathtaking scene to come home to, but also plenty of shade near the front door—always a plus when dealing with the occasional human visitor. The house itself was an ugly dark blue thing, but nice and big with a wrap-around porch that had potential.

Esme got out and gazed up at her new baby with dreamy eyes, clasping her fingers under her chin and taking a slow tour around the side. "The porch is even better than it looked in the pictures! But isn't that paint _hideous_ , and I was sure there was a fireplace on the eastern end, but I suppose we could... Oh! Carlisle, look!" She dropped her purse in the grass and shimmied up the peeling wooden siding, slowing to a stop up at the third floor to inspect the little bird's nest she had spied on one of the shutters. She was rewarded with the sight of four little fledglings, peeping and pecking each other. "Sparrows, I think," she called down to us.

Carlisle smiled up at her. "It'll be a challenge not to disturb them, but we'll try. Anytime you're ready, darling."

Esme leaped down and landed squarely in Carlisle's arms, bridal style. He unlocked the door and carried her into our new home as per their usual tradition, sharing a lingering kiss as she slid out of his arms.

"All right, break it up," Emmett said, pushing his way inside. "Let's go stake out our room, babe."

"I want that little corner room on the second floor for my closet!" Alice called, close on their heels. I didn't bother; the bachelor always got whatever was left over. I had more important rooms to scope out.

"Here," I announced a few moments later, quite pleased with the shape of the open area near the front door. The acoustics would improve once the carpet was taken out, and I rather liked how the floor was raised; I'd be stepping up onto the stage every time I played. The rest of the downstairs didn't have nearly so much light, but I suppose there wasn't much that could be done about that when we had a forest for a backyard. I went back outside to start unloading.

"Why don't we put C.E.E. over here?" Carlisle asked Esme, finding a homely little office space tucked away behind the stairs.

"That's fine, although let's take out that counter... Edward, have you found a bedroom?"

"Almost," I called down to her, heading upstairs. Rosalie and Emmett had already claimed the spacious bedroom suite that stretched along the front of the house, and Jasper was piling his boxes of books in a little office room around the corner, which meant he and Alice would probably take over the rest of the second floor. I moved on up to the third floor, finding a good-sized bedroom at the opposite end from the master suite directly above Rosalie and Emmett's, which Carlisle and Esme would naturally take. Quite nice, and certainly as quiet as I was going to manage. I dropped my first armful of boxes with a _thud_ and went back out to explore some more.

The house was even bigger inside than it had looked from the yard. Besides my own room and the master suite, there were two more bedrooms on the third floor and another two on the second floor. The dining room downstairs was normal enough, but the kitchen was enormous. Maybe we'd be able to harvest some of that wasted space somehow. There was a basement, too, though it was only half-finished. And the porch wrapped around a full three-fourths of the house, which gave quite a bit of extra space as well. I gave the railing a gentle tug here and there, impressed with its sturdiness. The house itself was over a hundred years old, but this porch must be newer. A new coat of paint, a little hammering to stabilize the posts, and it'd be good as new.

I took the next load of boxes up to my room. The window was painted shut—why on earth did humans do that? I cut through the paint with my fingernail and eased the rusty lock out of place, but then I saw that it was my windowsill that had the bird's nest. It'd be pleasant to watch the babies grow, innocent of the monster who lurked behind their glass wall. I wouldn't be able to use the window as an exit for a while, but the view more than made up for it: this room looked south, offering a breathtaking view of the Olympics in the distance.

I looked out for a moment, scanning the thickness of the trees to see if there was anything nearer that was interesting to look at. I thought I saw a glimmer that winked in and out; the river, perhaps?

I went into the other bedroom on my half of the third floor and wrestled with its window for a minute, finally managing to get it open without shattering the pane. I jumped down and took a quick look around the scanty backyard—the forest practically grew right up to the house—and picked my way through the trees. The glimmer I had seen from my window was the river, all right, roaring and healthy. It was much closer to the house than I had expected. I took a running leap over it.

Esme had shown me the outline of our property on the zoning map earlier this week, but it would be impossible to tell where our forest ended and state forest began. Sufficed to say, we owned the trees stretching nearly a mile and a half into the foothills of the Olympics, barring rights to alter the river in any way without permission. I was surprised to find the remnants of an old trail not far from the river. It hadn't been used in a long time; for most of its length, the only sign was a winding track of evergreens that were significantly shorter than their neighbors. A rusted tin can was the only other evidence that a human had ever passed this way. I wondered if this path led to an abandoned deer stand or something like that.

I explored here and there, finally taking to the treetops so I could follow the "path" more easily. I was finally rewarded with the sight of a big rectangle of wood so regular that it had to be manmade. It was partially obscured by the overgrowth and the rotted branches that had fallen on it in recent years, but it was definitely a building. I swung back down to the forest floor, surprised to see not a deer stand or a spartan hunting shack, but an adorable little stone cottage.

It was like stepping into a fairy tale. I had landed just far enough away to use the little path of flat stones that led the way home to the front door. The decaying, broken roof was a bit of an eyesore, but everything else was perfect... in a crumbling, half-reclaimed-by-nature sort of way. Wild, meandering honeysuckle had completely taken over one wall. Nearly every stone was outlined and softened with moss. The arched door wasn't in very good shape, but it was made of sturdy oak that had easily outlived the roof.

I walked in a wide circle around the whole thing. A stone chimney crowned the southern corner, and there was a little door in the back that opened directly into what probably used to be a garden. Now, it was just a little outline of rotted miniature fencing, completely overrun by natural growth. Only a single climbing rose plant had survived to tell the story of the former inhabitants, clinging to the mossy stones as if to escape the encroaching wilderness. I reached out and gently touched its petals. _Stubborn rose_ , I thought with a smile. It was a good omen; Rosalie and Emmett were going to love it out here. It'd been a while since they'd really _needed_ four walls of their own to knock down as they pleased, but it wasn't every day we found a house that came complete with a fairy tale cottage. I was almost jealous.

I carefully inspected the rest of the exterior before easing the door open; Esme would want to know every detail, though of course she would soon be out here to see it for herself. I stretched my gift back toward the main house, finding her mind abuzz with renovation plans. She might not be able to get to the cottage right away. I grimaced around the tiny living room. The fireplace was in good enough condition, but the wallpaper was an affront to all that was good and holy. Hopefully the smell would get thrown out with it.

The kitchen was little more than a camper's stove and a sink, which was just as well. Two rickety chairs crowded up to a tiny breakfast table that had seen better days. I was far more interested in the old piano which took up the wall across from the beehive fireplace. I didn't expect much, what with the exposure and the humidity it must have suffered over the years, but I still let out a disappointed sigh when the keys refused to be pushed, much less make any sound. I took a peek inside; the strings actually didn't look too bad. I already had the Steinway baby grand anyway, but it would be a shame to send it to a junkyard. Maybe I could find a local piano repair shop who enjoyed restoring hard luck cases.

Just like the main house, the cottage seemed bigger inside than out. I followed a little hallway—it was arched like the front door, as though I had wandered into a tiny castle—and found a generous master suite matched against two smaller rooms. The plumbing didn't work in the slightest; that would give Esme a pleasant challenge.

The whole thing was perfect. Maybe if Rosalie and Emmett spent enough time out here, they would even agree to switch bedrooms with me. I didn't exactly _need_ a full suite, but I wouldn't say no to my own shower and enough room for all my books to come out of their boxes. They were getting the better deal by far; this place was a jewel. And it felt right, somehow; it had been a shame to see the hunting cottage back at our old Hoquiam place fall into disrepair. Having this little find on our new property seemed to make up for it.

I headed back to the main house, wondering who had lived out at the cottage once upon a time, and why. I supposed it might be as old as the house, or even older; there could have been a whole line of occupants. The cottage had its own little story to tell. Perhaps it had been used as a mother-in-law suite once: a whimsical grandmother with plenty of cats and plenty of time to tend her roses. Then a little honeymoon retreat for a blushing couple who had set up house with a second-hand breakfast table, then a brooding pianist who needed solitude to work on his compositions. And now it would house a pair of lovesick vampires who would hopefully leave it in one piece and pass it on to continue the story. The older we all got, the more distanced we felt from stories like these, no matter how picturesque the setting or how vivid an imprint our renovations left behind. We were just stewards like the rest—here for a day, then nothing more than a fading memory.

.

.

.

My wistful romanticism was quickly broken upon my return to the main house. Not only was Rosalie completely offended by my cottage idea, but she was dead set on going to high school here in Forks.

"I am _not_ going to high school!" I informed her through clenched teeth.

"So don't go," she said, flicking her hair over her shoulder. "But I'm going. I've waited over sixty years to come back here, and I want to stay as long as we can. That means starting in high school. You can go to med school or conservatory or whatever you like."

I shook my head. "I'm supposed to be younger than you, remember? I know we've each done our own thing at some of the other locations, but this time we need to keep the cover story straight. This is a small town, and Carlisle's job is smack in the middle of it. We're more visible than usual."

Rosalie scoffed, but looked over to Carlisle and Esme.

"I'm afraid Edward is right," Carlisle said. "This is one of those times where we all need to be on the same page. Whatever you all agree to do, it needs to match up and make sense to the locals."

"High school," Rosalie said, giving Emmett a wide stare. He echoed her vote without a second thought. Traitor! That was it, I was doomed.

"High school," Alice chimed in.

"Come on, Jasper, back me up," I pleaded.

Jasper opened his mouth and then shut it again, looking down at Alice. He shrugged, giving me an apologetic smile. _You'll understand someday._

"Oh, come on!" I growled. "You hate high school as much as I do."

"Doesn't matter," Rosalie said. "Three's a majority."

"There are seven people in this family—"

"Two of whom don't go to school at all, and therefore don't count!"

"I'm sure we can work it out," Esme interrupted firmly, laying a hand on my arm. "Edward, I don't see why you have to go to high school with the others if you don't want to. We could come up with something in the cover story, some reason you need to be homeschooled, or we could say you're doing some special correspondence program..."

"And sit in the house all day? That's even worse!"

"Well, go to college, then. It's a quick commute, even if you go to Seattle, and we'll just have you be older than the others."

I thought about it for a moment. "Maybe."

"But then you'd be too old too fast," Jasper pointed out. "You'd still be stuck at home, just in the second half of our stay versus the first half, or we'll have to leave earlier." _Come on, Edward. If I have to go, you have to go._

"Come on, Edwarrrrrrd," Alice whined. "Rosalie's right. You've both always wanted to come back here, and this gives us all the longest stay. And we haven't done high school in a while, so it'll be more fun if we all do it together." _Besides_ , she added silently with an impish grin, _you've already made up your mind, or at least you're about to._ She showed me the evidence with disappointing clarity: all five of us slouched over one of those octagonal lunch tables, and a big sign distinctly visible out the windows of the cafeteria. _Forks High School: Home of the Spartans._

Unbelievable. Was there no justice in this world? I shot Carlisle a mournful look, but he just shrugged, looking away to hide the bemused twinkle in his eye. He was actually enjoying this.

I drew in a long, deep breath and let it out again. "I'll do it on two conditions. One, I absolutely _will not_ start off as a freshman"—I shot both my sisters a threatening look—"and two, I'm going to need another car. Unlike some people, I actually intend to make an effort to blend in."

"Deal," Rosalie said immediately. Alice jumped up onto Jasper's back with a little shriek of victory. Esme just sighed in relief and went outside for more boxes.

Carlisle held up his hands. "I'm glad you're all in agreement. And Edward, of course you can drive whatever you like..." He cleared his throat, looking at me with the twinkle in his eye again. "...when you're old enough to drive, that is."


	3. Paintball and Potty Passes

We each had our specialties. One of Emmett's was to come up with a new game or sport for us to enjoy each time we moved. In a lifestyle that felt increasingly monotonous, it kept things interesting—especially when we found ways to modify human sports and games to "Level Vampire," as Emmett liked to call it.

Of course, there were some games that Alice and I were excluded from no matter what challenging upgrades we invented, and on the flip side, there were some that didn't need to be modified at all to be enjoyed. This was especially true when the only goal of the sport in question was to splatter your siblings with paint and laugh at them. It was paintball this time.

It had sounded simple at first: scope out the playing field, divide into teams, sneak around and hide from each other, try to pepper your opponents with as much paint as possible. But it was hard for vampires to really hide from each other, and things got tricky when it came to assigning the teams. Emmett's size made him a liability for once, and there were the usual accusations that Alice and I had an unfair advantage due to our gifts.

"What about Jasper?" I said. "When anyone gets within a two-hundred-foot radius, he'll be able to pinpoint their location with his eyes closed."

"Only their direction," Jasper protested, "not their distance. And you know my gift can't keep up with the speed of vampire movement, so it's a moot point anyway."

"Not if the person is holding still to hide," Rosalie said.

"In any case, my gift doesn't matter because as I've stated six times now, I am _not_ getting paint in my hair or on my clothes. I'll referee." Alice folded her arms tight across her belly, standing her ground against our enormous brother.

"Hey, you're the one that made that rule about no getting sniffy over family games and no permanent referees!"

"It's _paint,_ Emmett!"

Carlisle held up his hands for quiet; the characteristic gesture was comically marred by the paintball gun dangling from his thumb. "We'll just have to play it out and see how different combinations work, like we always do. Emmett, why don't you assign the first teams and we'll go from there."

After some hemming and hawing, Emmett decided that his team would include Rosalie, Alice, and Esme. Carlisle, Jasper and I would serve as the "home" team, getting a generous twenty seconds to hide before the others were allowed onto the playing field. We decided to go with a timed game, at least in our first attempt, versus elimination. Rosalie and I argued briefly over whether each team's paint damage should be counted in square inches or percent of total body surface area, and then we were ready to go. Emmett's team vacated to a reasonable distance while the rest of us stood waiting.

"Start!" Emmett bellowed, and we dispersed to hide. We had spent the morning traipsing around the forest together, finding little streams and rock formations and other landmarks that would serve as boundary lines for the twelve square miles that made up the playing field. It was ironically similar to the bizarre evening we had spent with the werewolves back in '36, just a few miles west of where we were right now. Once Carlisle had managed to talk us all down from killing one another and the treaty had been hammered out, we had all walked the length of the peninsula together, carefully tracing a jagged line from north to south that we still respected as impassable. And here we were again.

I wasn't the only one that had an indescribable feeling of coming home now that we had returned to the Olympics. Rosalie and Emmett had spent nearly every night out either exploring the forest or returning to old dives in Seattle, and Carlisle had been eagerly reading up on local history since landing his job at the hospital in Forks. Even Alice and Jasper, who had never been here before, were enjoying their new home in the Pacific Northwest. And for all our bickering, we truly appreciated Emmett's little games. Even when moving to a place we loved, we needed his boisterous fun to help us relax in each of our new homes. The first few weeks were always the most interesting, but they could also be trying, and moments like this helped keep the edge off.

I tore through the trees, looking up and down for a good spot. The trick would be to mask my scent as much as possible... I finally settled on a brambly thicket that had grown around the torn-up roots of a massive oak that had fallen years ago. There was a little open space just within the grasp of the finger-like roots, small enough to be easily missed and just large enough to easily escape when the time came. The carpet of pine needles looked thick enough that I should be able to bury myself without getting too filthy, and the wind wasn't strong down here.

Five seconds left: just enough time to lay a false trail. I jogged out westward for a few hundred feet, touching as many trees as I could in passing. Then I took to the lower branches and returned to the thicket along the same route, taking the last fifty feet in one jump so the trail wouldn't lead right to the my hiding spot. I wriggled down into the brush, flinging a thick layer of pine needles over myself.

"All right, losers!" Emmett boomed out, finishing with a villainous laugh as he and the others ran back into the game area.

I cut off my breathing. They tramped through the woods for a while, sniffing out our garbled scents and listening for clues. The others had hidden too far away for me to locate via my gift, at least not without the cheat of stretching out to my full capacity, which I had sworn up and down not to do. Finally Emmett was the only one left I could hear. He quietly took to the trees, taking care not to disturb more wildlife than was necessary as he tracked me. It was only a matter of time; an expert tracker even in his human years, he was mapping out the forest floor in his mind, listening for an area that had a bubble of silence, indicating the familiar absence of insect activity—a dead giveaway that a vampire was lurking nearby. I slowly shifted the barrel of my paintball gun up through the clumps of pine needles around my face, determined to get him on approach if I could. As long as he was looking in the right direction, I'd be able to use his visual field as a periscope.

He was sorting out the false trail now. Just a few more feet...

"Gotcha!" I called out, popping out of the thicket and squeezing the trigger. But Emmett dodged the paintball easily, even after he had to turn around in surprise. We ran a zig-zag pattern opposite each other and exchanged fire at point-blank range a couple of times, but it was a big letdown; the paintballs traveled too slowly through the air. We could have stepped out of the way with our eyes closed.

"Damn it," Emmett growled, shaking his gun as if it would somehow encourage the design to exponentially improve. "Time out, family meeting!" he bellowed over his shoulder, and the others soon arrived. Everyone's clothes were as paint-free as ours.

"It's no good," I told them. "Too slow."

"Surely if we're close enough?" Esme asked.

Emmett whipped his gun up to fire right between my eyes from five feet away. I yawned, stepped around the path of the paintball as it floated toward me, and plucked it out of the air to return it to my sullen brother. He heaved a sigh, staring down at the bright purple sphere in his palm.

"I gotta work on this," he announced. "We'll try again." He began to studiously dismantle his gun. He was already dreaming up modifications; any chance to play mad scientist.

"I vote we move on to hang gliding," Alice said with a sniff. _Couples hang gliding_ , she thought, raising her eyebrows and sharing a naughty look with Jasper.

"Well, good luck," Carlisle told Emmett, handing over his weapon to Esme. "I need to clean up for work."

We all dispersed to enjoy our last few hours of freedom however we liked; school began in the morning, at least for Alice, Emmett, and me. Rosalie and Jasper would be playing the role of foster twins as they sometimes did, so they would get another week and a half before they "arrived." We had found, through trial and error, that there were ways to minimize the shock our human peers would inevitably feel when five monsters of unearthly beauty invaded their school, and those measures were especially important to take in these small-town situations. It also softened the blow to start school on the same day as everyone else. Even if we were the only new students moving into the district this school year, our human classmates would be especially self-focused on their first few days, obsessively wondering what everyone else thought of _them_. The gossip was inevitable, but at least the stir we caused would be only part of the social upheaval of the first week of school.

I spent the night out at the fairy tale cottage, as I had come to think of it. Since Rosalie and Emmett weren't interested, I had temporarily staked my claim to the mossy stone walls and the convenient workspace inside. My first project here in our new home would be to restore the hard-luck piano or go down trying. I'd had no luck finding a local expert in restoring pianos, weather-damaged or otherwise, so it was time to pick up a new hobby. I ordered all the books I could find on the subject, three of which had arrived this morning. Jasper had pointed out that I might find tutorials and even videos online with which to train myself, but I preferred to learn the old-fashioned way.

After I had studied every word and compiled a mental list of the tools I would need to order, I grew restless waiting out the rest of the night. Rosalie and Emmett had commandeered the entire house as their personal honeymoon suite—which they wouldn't have _needed_ to do if they had just taken the cottage that was handed to them on a silver platter—and it was too rainy to enjoy the forest. I decided it was as good a time as any to liberate the cottage from the wallpaper some sadist had decided to glue onto every square inch of interior wall.

.

.

.

"Alice!' Esme called for the third time, finally blaring the horn. "We're supposed to get there fifteen minutes early!"

"Coming, coming!" Alice yelled from inside the house. She finally streaked out the front door in a flash of color, rocking the whole car sideways when she crash-landed into my side in the back seat of our new Mercedes. Carlisle had indeed gotten an S55, a slick black panther of a car that purred nicely under the hood at respectable speeds. Forks Hospital's newest physician was just coming home, passing us on the highway just as we were getting into town. He had taken Rosalie's BMW to work last night so that Esme could drive us to our first day without attracting too much attention. He waved as he zoomed past.

Esme enjoyed taking us to school whenever she got the chance. She was every inch the doting mother, fiercely proud of her monster ducklings no matter what they did, and it wasn't often that she got to play out the fullness of the role that meant so much to her, however imaginary it was. She began humming as she pulled into the high school parking lot, dancing her fingers along the steering wheel as she patiently waited her turn in the long line of minivans.

I took the chance to study the school grounds. The first thing that caught my eye was the way the forest encroached on school grounds, or, inversely, the apologetically tight space the school had taken from the towering evergreens that had given the town its livelihood in the first place. The trees lined the parking lot, jutting inward along the back as if trying to take the land back. This was a definite plus, making for a neat escape if any of us should find the temptation too strong at any moment. But the absence of a single, large building was a strong demerit—not at all ideal for vampires, having to dodge the sunlight between each class. But then sunlight here on the Olympic Peninsula was about as mythical as we were, so I supposed it was an even break.

It reminded me of the school back in Hoquiam, a collection of ramshackle trailers and houses all built in different decades. No doubt the local humans considered the slow expansion over time to be a matter of history. From our perspective, the town seemed to have grown up overnight. I had driven through the little logging town of Forks back in the late thirties, if it could even have been called a town back then. Whatever it was, it had taken less than a minute to drive through. I felt a peculiar sense of pride to see it flourishing, rust or not.

"No problems so far," Alice reported, blindly fumbling with her seat belt, too busy with her visions to see what was right in front of her. Esme smiled up at her in the rear-view mirror, marveling for the thousandth time not just at Alice's powerful gift, but at her incredible ability to enjoy our human charade like this at all. To face the staleness of yes another "first day" with anything resembling anticipation. I reached across and released her seat belt for her.

Poor Esme; it would mean so much for her kiss us all goodbye and greet us this afternoon with freshly baked cookies, ready to hear about our exciting first day at a new school. As it was, Alice was the only one who could muster a perky farewell as we climbed out of the car, trudging at human speed toward the door to the main building along with the rest of the herd. I finally did the right thing and turned on my heel, waving goodbye. It earned me a friendly beep of the horn and a blown kiss; my good deed for the day. Time to sink into the near-somnolent slouch expected of a high school sophomore, too young to be interesting but too old to appear impressed. I _wished_ I could sleep through the next seven hours.

Our presence attracted immediate attention, and Alice wasn't helping. She was radiating excitement, practically bouncing along on tiptoe as we entered the school. Her high-pitched thoughts were temporarily drowned out by the crowd of minds and sounds and smells pressing in around us. Each school had its own unique blend of sensory stimuli. It would take time to adjust, as it always did.

"This one smells like one of those loaner gym uniforms," Emmett said. I nodded in grimacing agreement.

"That'll help Jasper," Alice said cheerfully. "Come on, let's get our schedules!" She darted out of sight, slipping through the cracks between the loitering students.

"No rush," Emmett chuckled. He was already laughing it up behind that dumb-jock mask of his. He actually _enjoyed_ the gaping attention of the adolescent children lining the halls, though not for the same reasons that Rosalie would when she started next week. He just thought it was hilarious. He was imagining himself as he would appear at his true human age, a sprightly ninety-year-old buck sauntering by his admirers on wobbly arthritic knees. He winked at one of the wide-eyed girls and cracked his neck as we passed by. "Hey," he grunted over his shoulder in her general direction. She nearly fainted.

"Cut it out," I muttered under my breath.

"Jealous?" he teased.

"Grateful," I corrected, "that you're standing next to me. But could you at least _attempt_ to keep a low profile? I don't want to move anytime soon."

 _Enjoy the anonymity while you can, kid. Once Rose and I hook up it'll be up to you to break all the hearts._

I ignored him, sweeping the tangle of thoughts for any warning signs. Only a few students were focused on us. Most were fussing over their own appearance, the upperclassmen reconnecting with their friends and the freshman bumping into each other as they tried to find their homerooms. Nothing stood out; no one was alarmed by our presence, at least not consciously, and no one was thinking about mythical creatures. The crowd parted for our passage as it usually did, with no one aware that they were actually backing away. Some deeply buried instinct told them to keep their distance . . . not that it would save their lives if the worst should happen. I took a discreet, deeper glance into Emmett's mind, swallowing the extra twinge it caused in my throat. He was feeling the strain of the crowd of beating hearts crammed into an enclosed space, but the gym uniform smell really did help.

We caught up to Alice in the office and endured the stammering mental flattery of one Mrs. Cope, and got our schedules and maps of the school, which we dropped in the waiting recycle bin on our way out. Alice and I were both starting as sophomores, so our schedules matched up fairly well. We exited out the back door. Emmett's thirst eased in the open air. Maybe the different buildings would turn out to be a plus, after all.

Emmett went off to Biology II in Building 1, Alice and I to Chemistry in Building 4. We slid into the two seats furthest back. One of us did this to avoid attention, and the other one did it to maximize her studies in high school fashion over the course of the next hour.

 _... had known that sticking rhinestones all over my butt was the thing to do, I could have saved myself a lot of trouble... Ooh, that fabric in hunter green is absolutely delicious, and what are those things in her hair anyway?_

"Butterfly clips," I said with a sigh, unable to avoid my front-row seat to the girl's anxious mental monologue over her hair. Alice's eyebrows raised into two delicate arches as she tried to decide whether she was offended by said butterfly clips, or whether she might like to try them.

She was just breaking into the usual lament over how her short hair limited her options when the teacher came in and began to drone about lab safety, how to use the eyewash station, his homework policy, etc. I'd tuned out these introductions more times than I could count, but this one seemed to rankle at my dignity more than was customary. A brief ten months ago I had been an Ivy League med student, and yet here I was: a high school sophomore who was unable to drive himself to school or even use the restroom without permission. Not that I would ever need to, but that was beside the point. It was so... degrading.

The rest of the morning stretched on and on, one introductory lecture after another. In each class, the enforced stillness allowed the humans to tire of their obsessive self-focus and begin taking longer peeks at their classmates. Without my massive brother at my side to attract most of the attention, I was the target of most of these stolen glances and the star attraction of curious thoughts. New students weren't at all unheard of, it seemed; there was a healthy amount of turnover in the local population compared to some of the small towns we had haunted in years past. But there was nothing I could do to shield myself from the simultaneous dread and fascination that my appearance generated beyond the usual interest in a new face. I let the constant barrage of thoughts wash over me, paying only enough attention to check for anything dangerous. It would take time for my gift to acclimate to the unique cacophony of this particular blend of voices—maybe five, six hundred in all. It'd been a while since we last attended high school; I had conveniently forgotten what it was like. The unpleasantness of volatile hormones aside, adolescent humans had an irritating tendency to shout inside their minds at the most unpredictable moments.

 _Oh. My. GOD. Just LOOK at him!_

Yes, exactly like that, I thought irascibly as I rejoined my siblings in the cafeteria at noon. I entertained a moment's feeble hope that the high-pitched mental squealing was directed at Emmett, but fate was feeling especially vindictive today. The girl was not only staring right at me, but she was already making a beeline for where I stood in line behind Alice.

 _Fangirl at three o'clock_ , Alice warned with a pitying grimace. _This one's going to be tough to shake loose. Enjoy!_

"Thanks so much," I growled back at her. If she were a _loyal_ sister, she'd invent some emergency to get me out of this. I felt a defiant urge to snatch her hand up in mine and kiss her right in front of the whole school. Anything to deflect the attack. Cover story be damned; Jasper could be the single one this time. I gritted my teeth, resigning myself to the inevitable.

"Oh, hiiiiii," the girl whined as her brand-new shoes squealed to a stop beside me: a last-minute decision to pretend she hadn't just picked me out of the crowd. Her curly mop of black hair flounced forward with the suddenness of her halt and she began raking it backwards in a doomed attempt to tuck it behind her ears. Her perfume was _hideous_. I stared ahead, flatly ignoring her.

 _WhatToSay, WhatToSay!?_ "Sooooo, um, I haven't seen you before so I guess you're new around here?" _OhMyGodWillYouRunAwayWithMe—_ "My name is Jessica—oh hiiiiiii!"

Alice had finally taken pity on me, turning to greet the girl in my stead. "Hiiii, I'm Alice Cullen," she chirped, perfectly imitating Jessica's shrill greeting. The girl blinked and stepped back an inch or two, exhibiting the usual breath-hitching response when one of us addressed our would-be prey with direct eye contact. No matter how we tried, we couldn't quite get it right. Carlisle was the best at it; Alice was decidedly the worst at it. Good; maybe the girl would keep backing up until she backed right out the door to the hallway.

"We just moved here," Alice went on before the girl could inhale enough air to start the squealing again. "Carlisle—he's our adopted dad—just started at the hospital, he's a doctor. Edward, say hi."

"Hi," I intoned, intently studying the menu on the dry-erase board hovering above the cafeteria ladies' heads. Traitor. At least she'd deflected Jessica's interest somewhat by mentioning the adoption.

"Oh, you guys are adopted? I mean, yeah, that makes sense, you don't really look alike, I mean at first I thought so but I guess your hair is totally different? One of my cousins is adopted, I mean he was already sort of a second cousin but anyway, oh right, I heard about the new doctor..." she paused for a gasping breath, examining Alice's appearance again now that wealth had entered the picture. Her appraisal wasn't very flattering.

 _Be polite_ , Alice scolded. _It's time to start the rumor mill and you want to give a good impression._

"No, I really don't," I said to the dry erase board. Alice was right, of course: here in the social free-for-all of the lunch hour, the speculation about us was starting to really warm up. Jessica might as well be the one to spread the gossip. I let Alice do the talking. No, we weren't related. There was another one, Emmett, who'd probably be along in a moment. We'd recently moved here from Alaska. No, neither of us had ever been on a dogsled. Yes, Carlisle and Esme were fairly young to be adoptive parents of teenagers. Esme had had me since I was eight and my mother had died, who was her cousin once removed and she had always been sort of an aunt to me even back in her college years. Alice and Emmett had joined the family at ages twelve and fourteen, respectively. We wouldn't yet introduce the shocking news of the soon-to-arrive Hale twins; it was better to let the humans digest the first round for a while. No, we didn't need a tour of the school. Yes, we were enjoying our new home so far. Jessica was getting bolder with her rapid-fire questions, just about to start dropping hints about her availability when Emmett finally caught up to us in line.

"Here's Emmett," I announced cheerfully, turning to face my attacker for the first time. "Em, this is Jessica Stanley."

He grunted in her direction, but she had eyes only for me, and for the credit cards peeking out of my wallet when I pulled out some cash to pay for our lunches. I made the profound error of paying for her lunch since she was sandwiched between the three of us. It was a mistake I'd no doubt be paying for over the next several weeks, I realized with a wince. She instantly began gushing gratitude and demanded to return the favor by inviting us to sit with her and her little friends.

"Thanks, but your table is already crowded," I said, steering Alice toward the solitude of the empty tables along the far wall.

 _What do you think you're doing?_ Alice thought, pushing back past me to sit with Jessica and the others. _Aren't you always the one pushing us to blend in for at least the first week?_

"Suit yourself," I said, motioning with an impatient flourish for her to go on. Emmett followed me to the outcast table. We listened for a moment to the others as they introduce themselves to Alice: Mike, Eric, Angela, Ashley, Ben. Jessica leaned backwards in her chair to introduce a few more of her acquaintances at the next table: Lauren, Tyler, Kayleigh, Whitney, and so on. She was speaking louder than necessary so that despite my exile, I wouldn't mistake her intent to include me. I scooted my chair around to turn my back to her.

 _Awww, he must be so nervous_ , she thought in aching tones. _Living out in the middle of nowhere like that. I bet he's never been around so many kids before. Probably doesn't even know what to say to a girl... this is your lucky day, Edward Cullen, because I'm the listening type..._ _break you right out of your shell, that gorgeous, ice-cold, brooding shell of yours..._ She began to fan herself with her napkin.

"How's your day going?" I asked Emmett.

He began mincing the chicken whatever-it-was with a plastic fork. "Great," he grumbled. "Fantastic. Just peachy. Did you know they have mandatory P.E. _all four years_ at this school? And the football coach is also the gym teacher, so he's already dropping hints. C'mon, let's fake-eat something."

We spent the rest of the lunch hour dissecting our food and pretending to consume the occasional morsel. We rarely had to take a real bite these days; we were professionals when it came to the eating charade. No, the real trouble was the irritating monologue coming from Jessica's mind; she was losing interest in Alice's not-quite-right human perkiness and the fantasies were already beginning. They were benign enough, at least for now. Miss Stanley was a strategist by nature, and Stage One of her mission was clear: get that painfully adorable Edward Cullen to notice meeeeee.

So it was with ear-splitting delight that she discovered that we shared the next class, World History. What had I done to deserve this? Recently, anyway? I commandeered the most isolated desk I could find. Surely she was the social butterfly sort, and wouldn't like being off in a corner. But no, she was more than happy to sprawl her brightly-colored belongings all over the nearest desk. She plunked herself down in the seat, crossing her bared legs in my direction with a welcoming ankle twirl for a finale. I angled myself away from her expectant gaze.

 _Wow, he really is shy._ I listened with renewed hope as she fiddled with the charm on her necklace and reconsidered her mission. She glanced around at the athletic competition in the room: healthy, odiferous specimens all, many of whom should have put me to shame at first glance. _He's just so pitiful and sweet. He needs me_ , she decided, and let out a languorous sigh that turned every head in the room but mine.

 _Do your worst_ , I thought with a mental chuckle. After several months of living with the world's most famous succubus, it was doubtful that her girlish imagination could dish out anything I'd find too difficult to manage. She'd lose interest eventually. They always did.

.

.

.

"How was your first day?" Esme called even before we trudged through the front door. Instead of the quintessential cookies and milk, she had set the dining room table with lopsided piles of brochures and business cards.

"The usual," I sighed, shrugging out of my jacket.

"Edward has an admirer," Alice reported cheerfully. Esme's eyebrows rose in concerned amusement.

"What's all this?" I asked her, plucking a brochure off the table. _Ed's Tree Service._

Esme's smile grew secretive. "Oh... just a little project." Her mind instantly darted away from trees services and began listing all the colors of paint chips she had looked at earlier this afternoon. "Coincidentally, Edward, you might want to start moving your things out of your room later this week... just temporarily. Where's Emmett?"

"Forest," I said, waving a hand out toward the trees in general. He and Rosalie needed to recuperate from their seven hours apart; the withdrawal had already begun. Jasper was aching to reunite with Alice too, but he was content to continue reading in his study until she went up to greet him. I wondered idly if they'd be playing First Sight when Jasper and Rosalie started school.

It was a little prank we liked to play on our fellow students sometimes. Since Rosalie and Jasper would just be joining the family according to the cover story, it was also the time when the rest of us supposedly met them. It only made sense that the two couples wouldn't pair off immediately, seeing as how they were still getting to know each other. Rosalie and Emmett usually weren't able to stretch it out more than a day or two, but Alice and Jasper liked to take it slow sometimes. It helped minimize the more damaging type of gossip, but it also kept things interesting without creating a spectacle. And we needed interesting.

Alice and Emmett could entertain themselves for now, though. I'd do my best, as always, to keep my boredom to myself, especially during these first few days without Jasper. Without having his willpower to worry over, Alice was especially free to enjoy her fantasies that she was a normal high school student making friends. It'd be over soon enough. The children at Jessica's lunch table would breathe more easily once Alice joined us at the outcast table, and Jasper really did need to be watched. Emmett and Rosalie would be able to resume their twitterpated high school romance, and I would dutifully take my place as the brooding bachelor. Someone needed to keep an ear out for trouble, after all, so it might as well be the telepath.

It was a script we had acted out time after time. We switched it up whenever the roles began to get too dull. High school grew more intolerable with each repetition, so I had no doubt that it'd be college the next time around; Carlisle and Esme might even join us. For now, it was the same old show. Reruns were tolerable in a campy way at the best of times, but it was the company that made them worthwhile. We had each other, and that made all the difference in the world.


End file.
